The US Will Not Sentence El Chapo's Son Joaquin Guzman Lopez To Death If Proven Guilty

Illustration. (Pexels/Ekaterina Bolovtsova)

JAKARTA - The United States will not impose the death penalty on Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, if he is found guilty of drug trafficking charges in Uncle Sam's country, prosecutors said in court files.

In a court file dated May 23, federal prosecutors in Chicago did not provide any explanation of the decision or further details.

Guzman Lopez was charged in 2023 with three of his brothers - known as "Chapitos," or small Chapos - on charges of drug trafficking and US money laundering involving the takeover of their father's Sinaloa Cartel leadership after his extradition to the United States in 2017.

Guzman Lopez pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said in a statement, "We are clearly pleased with the decision because it is the right decision. Joaquin and I look forward to resolving the charges against him," he said.

Guzman Lopez will next attend federal court in Chicago on June 2.

Guzman Lopez's brother, Ovidio Guzman, is expected to pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges against him at a court hearing in Chicago on July 9, according to court records earlier this month.

Guzman was extradited to the US in 2023 and initially pleaded not guilty to fentanyl trading charges.

Guzman Lopez was detained in the US in dramatic arrests in July 2024 along with the suspected co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada at an airfield in New Mexico. The operation was a major success for US law enforcement.

Zambada also pleaded not guilty. In February his lawyer told Reuters he was willing to confess if the prosecutor agreed to release him from the death penalty.

Meanwhile, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman served a maximum-security life sentence in Colorado after being convicted of a drug trafficking case in 2019.